Sushi. It’s a delectable dish that has been trending in popularity over the last decade-plus, especially among the young and hip and those whose palates crave global food.

Let’s get this straight right off the bat; sushi does not mean raw fish, as many non-aficionados or those not schooled in the food often believe. Sushi actually refers to seasoned rice, which is the cornerstone of sushi dishes, which can, at times include, yes, raw fish. But more often, sushi is made with cooked fish, a seaweed wrap, and vegetables, as well as cooked seafood, like shrimp, crab, smoked salmon, lobster, and imitation crab.

One of the major suppliers of sushi in Connecticut is Edo Sushi Express, based in the Oakville section of Watertown. The 10,000-square-foot firm, including office, and kitchen and storage areas, produces packaged sushi for customers ranging from universities and colleges to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford and the state Legislature’s cafeteria, plus a few select small specialty stores in New York City. The company does not sell sushi retail, although it is developing a line of noodle bowls that will be sold in stores, perhaps sometime this fall, says Cynthia LaBelle, president of the company. Her husband, Thihan Tun, a native of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), is a vice president of the firm, about whom his wife says he “is involved in all operations of the company, does product and development. He makes sure the company survives and good times and bad.” The couple lives in Watertown.

The company, which was had a small kitchen facility in Oakville with a home office, moved into its new digs about seven years ago. The firm dabbled at selling retail in 2010-11, never leaving delivery, where they turned exclusively in 2005. They have been in the sushi business since 2000.

“We cater to large clients,” says LaBelle. “But that isn’t to say we won’t provide sushi for a large event, like we have to Watertown Country Club, and parties. But it just doesn’t make sense for us to be in retail at this point.”

Among the company’s prominent clients are Yale University, the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University, Quinnipiac University, Wesleyan University and Eastern Connecticut State University, where students that have grown up loving sushi take to the dish like their predecessors used to gobble up cheeseburgers and fries.

“I grew up in the Midwest,” says LaBelle, “and you never heard of a sushi bar there. Now, we have them in pretty much every city and large town. On the East Coast, it has been popular for a much longer period of time because businesspeople traveled to Japan and brought back a taste for sushi. I would dare to say that there are as many sushi bars in New York City than there are pizza places. People have become educated about what sushi is, how delicious it is, and the nutritional value it carries.”

All of Edo Sushi Express’ packaged sushi is made in the company’s spotless and temperature controlled kitchen and then stored in a walk-in cooler until it is delivered to the client. It is made by hand by a skilled and trained team of expert Burmese sushi chefs, who take great pride in their craft. A trained and skilled sushi chef can churn out 40 to 50 rolls in an hour.

While much of the company’s product revolves around perhaps a dozen to 15 popular brands of sushi, the team is not beyond trying new flavors, such as buffalo chicken sushi, Hawaiian sushi and Tex-Mex sushi, in an attempt at “global fusion food.” The company can make up to 40 different types of sushi rolls.

“Our sushi, to be enjoyed properly, must be eaten within a 24-hour period,” says LaBelle, as she walks through the company’s kitchen area. “The key is the rice, it just can’t be re-heated and the taste and consistency starts to change within a short amount of time. That’s why all our sushi is made with fresh ingredients and delivered refrigerated for consumption at events and in eateries within a short time after delivery.”

Edo Sushi Express has gone through FDA and third-party audit, says LaBelle, to ensure the operation meets food safety guidelines for preparation and storage. But she says even among state inspectors some misunderstanding about how sushi is made and what it is causes problems at times. That’s why she has joined with state Sen. Rob Kane and state Rep. Eric Berthel, both of Watertown, to sponsor a bill called, “An Act Concerning Sushi Rice.”

“The main idea behind the bill is to gain consistency for sushi chefs across the state,” says LaBelle. “Each inspector has a different idea about what makes sushi rice safe.” In one case, she explains, a health inspector insisted that a sushi chef roll sushi at 155 degrees. The chef scalded his hands meeting that demand. In another case, a health inspector demanded that sushi rice be at 55 degrees when rolling sushi. It was literally impossible for the sushi chef to mold the rice as required for making sushi.

LaBelle believes that over-regulation and a lack of comprehension about sushi rice and how sushi rice is made makes it a challenge for sushi chefs and sushi vendors in the state. Sushi rice is steamed with water and Kombu seaweed until it reaches the appropriate consistency, and a specific recipe is always followed. After the rice is steamed, rice vinegar, sugar and salt are mixed into the rice before it cools. The pH of the rice must be 4.1 or below, which makes it far safer than many people believe, because of its acidity and pH level bacteria is unable to grow.

LaBelle, who began working full-time several years ago at the firm after a career teaching economics and political science in a New York State high school, believes her company is poised for explosive growth.

“We have brought on a business development director and a public relations person because we feel we can grow this business to, hopefully, $50 million a year within five years.” Sales were $2 million last year. “I think we have the right niche and sushi, noodle bowls, and rice bowls are trending.” At present, the company has about a dozen employees.

The firm received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise in January by the Center for Women & Enterprise of Boston, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

WBENC’s national standard of certification implemented by the Center for Women and Enterprise is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women. Edo Sushi Express is the only company of its type in the country with a woman as the majority owner.

“It was as thrill for us to be honored by the Center for Women and Enterprise,” says LaBelle with obvious pride. “It meant a lot for the company and our image in the community and beyond.”

Edo Sushi Express is holding an open house at its Oakville location May 15 and is busily renovating its interior offices in preparation for the event.